On January 22, 2025, Beijing time, the 14-win and 29-loss Nets faced off against the 28-win and 16-loss Knicks at home. On paper, the Nets were not considered strong opponents for the Knicks. However, as a city derby, the Nets were highly motivated and aimed to win, especially since the Knicks were playing back-to-back games and were not as physically fit as the Nets, giving the Nets an opportunity to pull off an upset victory. The Nets were without Thomas and Simmons in their starting lineup: Russell, Keane, Cloney, Cameron, and Claxton. The Knicks were missing Miro from their starting lineup: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, and Towns.
In the first quarter, Brunson made a mid-range shot, Cameron scored a layup, OG and Brunson hit two consecutive three-pointers plus a dunk by Towns, putting the Knicks ahead 10-2. Cameron responded with a three-pointer, followed by Bridges and OG scoring five points, extending the Knicks' lead to ten points and forcing a timeout. After the timeout, Russell and Claxton scored for the Nets, while Bridges responded with a layup, maintaining an eight-point difference. Russell then scored a 2+1, and Martin added five points, allowing the Nets to catch up and tie the score. Achiuwa and Hart scored for the Knicks, but Cloney, Cameron, and Keane responded, giving the Nets a two-point lead. Payne made two free throws, and Sharp responded with two free throws of his own, ending the first quarter with the Nets leading 26-24.
In the second quarter, Towns, McBride, and Achiuwa combined for an 8-0 run, giving the Knicks a six-point lead. Cameron scored a layup for the Nets, but Achiuwa and McBride added four more points, extending the Knicks' lead to eight points. After a timeout, Russell hit a three-pointer, but Towns responded with five points, increasing the lead to ten points. Sharp and Cloney scored for the Nets, while Bridges and OG responded strongly, creating a 13-point gap. Russell, Wilson, and Sharp narrowed the gap to five points, but after another timeout, OG and Towns scored, and Russell, Cloney, and Cameron tried to close the gap, leaving only one point between the teams. Brunson, Hart, and Towns then extended the lead to eight points, ending the half with the Knicks ahead 59-51.
In the third quarter, OG hit a three-pointer, giving the Knicks an 11-point lead. Claxton and Cloney scored dunks for the Nets, reducing the lead to seven points. Towns then scored four points, but Claxton, Cameron, and Russell responded with seven points, narrowing the gap to four points. After a timeout, Towns, Brunson, OG, and Hart increased the lead to 12 points. Another timeout was called, and Martin hit a three-pointer for the Nets, but OG and Achiuwa responded, maintaining a 13-point lead for the Knicks. Russell and Martin tried to close the gap to seven points, but McBride and Achiuwa extended it to 11 points. Sharp finished with an alley-oop, and the third quarter ended with the Knicks leading 84-75.
In the fourth quarter, Towns made one of two free throws, giving the Knicks a ten-point lead. Owoama scored five points, reducing the gap to five points. OG responded with a dunk, but Martin and Cameron scored five points, narrowing the gap to two points. After a timeout, Cameron hit a three-pointer, giving the Nets a one-point lead. Towns responded with a hook shot to regain the lead by one point, but Russell made two free throws to take the lead again. Brunson then scored four points to regain the lead by three points. Keane made two free throws, but Brunson and OG scored four more points, creating a five-point lead with 58 seconds left. After another timeout, Russell hit a three-pointer, reducing the gap to two points. Brunson and Cameron missed their shots, but Brunson made two free throws, increasing the lead to four points with seven seconds left. Keane missed his three-pointer, and the game ended with the Knicks defeating the Nets 99-95, refusing a comeback.
Towns scored 25 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on 11 of 19 shooting, setting a new league record with his 18th game this season with 15+ rebounds. Brunson scored 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists on 7 of 18 shooting. OG scored 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Hart scored 7 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. Bridges scored 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Russell scored 23 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 blocks on 6 of 17 shooting (4 of 11 from three-point range), with a +5 plus/minus rating, setting a new personal record for blocks this season. Cameron scored 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6 of 20 shooting. Martin scored 13 points and 7 rebounds. Cloney scored 10 points and 6 rebounds. Claxton scored 8 points and 12 rebounds.
Russell's impressive performance in this game has led fans to believe that the Lakers might regret trading him away, as they have experienced a significant drop in scoring ability since his departure and would miss his autonomous scoring capabilities.